Category Archives: Collections
Interview With Claire Yaffa, Photographer of Children With AIDS: Spirit and Memory
On June 7, AIDS in New York: The First Five Years opens at the New-York Historical Society. The new exhibit will explore the impact the epidemic had on personal lives, public health, and politics from 1981-1985. The companion exhibition Children With AIDS: Spirit and Memory. Photographs by Claire Yaffa will feature twenty photographs by the acclaimed [...]
Interview With Maurita Baldock, Curator of Manuscripts
Earlier this week, the New York Times took a look at the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, a group of young archivists, librarians, and historians who meet up and network around the city. One member featured was our very own Curator of Manuscripts, Maurita Baldock! But what exactly does that job entail? We sat [...]
The Day Jackie Robinson Signed With The Dodgers
Is everyone excited to see 42, the new film about Jackie Robinson? We definitely are, especially because 66 years ago today, Mr. Robinson officially signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, and took to the field in an exhibition game against the Yankees! Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and began his professional baseball [...]
Audubon’s Work Becomes Feathering For Rats Nests
Our current exhibition Audubon’s Aviary: Part 1 of the Complete Flock is now open, and everyone is loving the collection of original watercolors displayed throughout the second floor. But did you know that the exhibition also features some lesser-known Auduboniana? One of our favorites is this Meiji Period (approximately 1868-1912) woodcut depicting John James Audubon. Audubon [...]
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Who’s ready for the St. Patrick’s Day parade? New York City has longstanding Irish heritage, with the first known reference to any celebration of St. Patrick’s Day found in a 1756 issue of the New-York Post-Boy. The first reference to a parade was in a March 1766 New York Gazette. Then, homesick Irishmen serving in the British [...]
Where Have All The Pigeons Gone?
New York City would be an entirely different place without our pigeons (AKA Rock Doves, Carrier Pigeons). But for hundreds of years, a different pigeon dominated America’s landscape. The Passenger Pigeon was once the most abundant bird on the North American continent, with estimates putting their population at three to five billion at their height. [...]
Keith Haring Paper Lantern Installed In The Luce Center
Keith Haring painted this Japanese paper lantern in 1988. Installed on Monday, it’s part of our latest rotation from the Keith Haring Foundation. This rotation, on view through June 2, focuses on Haring’s Pop Shop Tokyo project. On January 30, 1988, (25 years ago yesterday!) Keith Haring opened the Pop Shop Tokyo, following the successful opening of [...]
Happy Birthday John Rogers!
In honor of our upcoming exhibition, John Rogers: American Stories, curator Kim Orcutt will be writing a series of posts about his life, his work, and how he earned the nickname “The People’s Sculptor.” Happy Birthday John Rogers! The sculptor was born on October 30, 1829 and he is a favorite at the New- York [...]
History On Your Google Streetview
Ever wonder what your neighborhood looked like 200 years ago? Wish you could see what historical events happened in your backyard? Well, Historypin is here to help. The website allows museums, historical and cultural organizations, libraries, and everyday people to tag images to a Google map, enabling visitors to “tour” the world through old photographs. [...]
